The City University of New York voted to award an honorary degree to Tony Kushner, the prize-winning playwright. He was sharply criticized by a CUNY board member for his acid criticism of Israel, including the view that Israel should not have been founded(!). Then the plan to award the degree was rescinded. Then a firestorm of criticism broke out over the recision. Then the honorary degree was reinstated.
We do not think that a person who says that Israel should not have been founded and who issues other, truly extremist charges against Israel should be awarded an honorary degree. If someone had opined that Jordan should not have been founded, would he be considered for an honorary degree? We think not. Such a hypothetical person, whatever else his talents might be, would be considered beyond the pale. Of late, it is only the delegitimation of Israel that does not disqualify one from an honorary degree the usual double standard.
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However, Kushner had a valid complaint when he said he should have been given the right to defend himself. And defend himself he did in a letter to CUNY. Readers can read his defense on page 8 and decide for themselves whether Kushners explanations of his anti-Israel positions have any merit.
Beyond that, two things are clear. First, once the decision was made and announced to award Kushner the degree, it should not have been rescinded. It is against Jewish ethics to disinvite. If one does not want to award Kushner to begin with, that is fine and, in our view, entirely proper. But a recision of an award is an unacceptable public humiliation.
Second, we wonder whether all of those critics of the the CUNY decision to rescind the award would have articulated the same ethical stand for someone like Pastor John Hagee. Whoever the awardee or speaker, on the left or on the right, he is not to be disinvited.
Copyright © 2011 by the Intermountain Jewish News
